| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 3:14:46 PM | http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/21/minimum.wage.ap/index.html
The Republican-controlled Senate smothered a proposed election-year increase in the minimum wage Wednesday, rejecting Democratic claims that it was past time to boost the $5.15 hourly pay floor that has been in effect for nearly a decade.
Yes, but how many times within that same decade, did these guys vote themselves a hefty payraise?
There should be a cost of living increase. With gas at three bucks a gallon and the price of food certainly not the same ten years ago, there should be a little bit more consideration for the working poor. What is up with these guys?
Toon | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 3:19:09 PM | http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/20/dobbs.june21/index.html
Without much fanfare, the House of Representatives last week voted to give members of Congress yet another pay raise, as it has done almost every year for nearly a decade.
For some reason, our elected officials decided against holding a news conference. Maybe that's because they didn't want to draw attention to the fact that they raise their own salaries almost every year while refusing to raise the pay of our lowest-paid workers.
Corporate America, the Bush administration and the national economic orthodoxy with which they're in league have consistently argued against helping working men and women at the lowest end of the wage scale by raising the minimum wage. Big business groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce say it will harm the economy and eliminate jobs. As is so frequent with the faith-based economics that grips both political parties in Washington, such concerns have absolutely nothing to do with reality.
For example, it's impossible to deny the national minimum wage of $5.15 is not enough for a family to live above the poverty line. The annual salary for workers earning the national minimum wage still leaves a family of three about $6,000 short of the poverty threshold.
Raising the minimum wage to $7.50 would positively affect the lives of more than 8 million workers, including an estimated 760,000 single mothers and 1.8 million parents with children under 18. But even this 46 percent increase would get them only to the poverty line. Don't you think these families just might need that cost-of-living increase a bit more than our elected officials who are paid nearly $170,000 a year?
$170,000.....
Disgusting.
Toon | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 3:27:00 PM | | Wouldn't really make a difference out here in LA. Good luck hiring anyone under 7/hr. All in all, it just leaves me going, who cares? | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 3:28:29 PM | This is not unlike the situation on Ontario, where under the "Progressive" Conservative government of Mike Harris, minimum wage was frozen for eight years. When he (and Ernie Eves, who followed him) were finally replaced by the Liberals, minimum wage went up, still not to what it should be, but at least a little more in line with inflation. But I didn't realize that minimum wage was frozen in the U.S. In fact, I thought that they generally raised it frequently, and had found that raising minimum wage was actually better for all! Apparently this hasn't been happening, but raising minimum wage is best for all, regardless. Sure, a company saves money by paying its employees shit wages, but then those employees can't afford to buy the company's products. When the employees are paid half-decently, then they buy more stuff, and everyone is generally happier.
You are right. This is disgusting. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 3:55:31 PM | Any person that works 40-50 hours a week should have the opportunity to feed the kids, pay rent and own a car. At $5.15 that totals around $1000 a month if that person works 50 hours a week. I guess they'd better be healthy, because a 1000 bucks a month will not cover jack sh***
I guess it's better to give Exxon a tax break. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 4:21:50 PM | | Its just crazy, I have done some checking around and almost nobody pays minimum wage anymore because its so outdated and nobody can or will work for that. Amazing how congress is so in touch with the people. I am sure there were cries of "businesses will go under if we do this". BTW the poverty rate in this country now is 10 bucks per hour. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 4:33:10 PM | | Like someone else said, it's the same in Ontario. The poverty line is at $26 000 a year for a family of three and by working a 40 hour a week minimum wage job you make just under $15 000 a year and that's BEFORE taxes. Makes no sense and it's disgusting. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 4:50:12 PM | Ah, but they have a much better train system. Who would want to pay 7 bucks a gallon when you can ride the rails in comfort?
I hope this gets some serious coverage this week. These folks need a reminder that election time is coming up and poor people DO vote.
Toon | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 5:16:33 PM | They'll just have to raise the cost of goods. It all goes hand in hand
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Not so...
Florida, Arkansas, Wahington Have higher Min wage...
some cities Santa Fe for example have a LIVING wage...
....maybe profit would be lower for Corps like Walmart or CEO perks lower...
Their pay ratio is like 4-500 to workers pay now.......
San Franciso has health insurance for all the kids... about to expand to cover everone with out ins...
England min wager is almost $10 hr...Ireland the same....oh they also dont have to pay for health insurance..
whats the min wage in Canada? | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 6:17:13 PM | | I agree that the minimum wage should be raised. How can anyone live on $5.15 an hour, even in small towns and rural areas. Living in large, metropolitan areas must be impossible. No wonder they're called the working poor. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 6:34:51 PM | Jobs like child care, day care, senior care ....... taxpayer assisted heath care and any other program for the working poor....
people dont live on $5.15 you help...
why 40 million dont have heath coverage...
why you might have to wait 5 hour at the ER...... | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 7:01:46 PM | They should make the minimum wage $80/hr. That would eliminate poverty, wouldn't it?
Wow, good call Count. 10 dollars more than what a congressman makes. (using the 170.000 figure and dividing)
I didn't know you were a communist/socialist?
Power to the People, Bro.
Toon | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 7:55:56 PM | We should eliminate the minimum wage and let the market dictate wages.
A minimum wage is a minimum level of payment established by law for work performed. Its intended purpose is to protect vulnerable low wage workers from exploitation.
Here is some exploitation for you:
Wal-Mart is an advocate of a higher minimum wage law. It seems Wal Mart has figured out that minimum wage workers, especially those who work in their stores would be able to purchase more products at their stores. This is the reason why in some areas Wal-Mart workers make more than minimum wage even to start. Sales volumes increase.
Profits increase, The difference between making X% profit minus cost of wage increase equals a net gain. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/21/2006 8:02:47 PM | Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
To answer this the right way As Long they take home their big fancy pay checks they don't care what others get. As for all you KEEP ON Voteing keep it up the people won't get a raise in the wages you all voted these people in NOW its time to turn the table around and get reed of them
don't turn around and bash me cause i,m not the one is votein | |
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yna6
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Joined: 5/2/2004
Msg: 20 | |
| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/22/2006 8:56:10 AM | Minimum wage? I have worked close to that all my life. Even if I did work my way up a bit in a company, it didn't help matters much. The big thing is the benefits.
The gov't has lost sight of the reasons for a minimum wage.
Many companies have a "cost of living increase" built into their wage system. Some even have "merit raises" (never seen nor heard of one of these being granted though). A cost of living raise is just that...keeps you at the same place you were, and is not a raise that increases your standard of living. I've seen raises actually lower your living standard, by putting you into a new tax bracket.
Minimum wage needs to be indexed with cost of living, and adjusted annually. Anyone making minimum wage needs tax relief. Can't afford to live on minimum wage, forget pay taxes on it too!
Gov't members should never be allowed to increase their own wage, unless minimum wage goes up by the same percentage. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/22/2006 9:03:53 AM | We should eliminate the minimum wage and let the market dictate wages.
A minimum wage is a minimum level of payment established by law for work performed. Its intended purpose is to protect vulnerable low wage workers from exploitation.
____________________________
free market.....
Good idea lets get rid of child labor laws. work place standards, all of it ...
works well in the third world.. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/22/2006 12:27:13 PM | They're purpose in voting this down has nothing at all to do with keeping wages down. It's about republican leverage to destroy any and all social safety nets for workers. The very idea that anyone around here would even work for $5.15 is laughable. You can hardly hire an illegal for less than double that.
That's the effect of holding American workers wages down: more illegals. They don't pay taxes. People who are citizens and do pay taxes would starve to death on $5.15 an hour, unless they live in a creek next to work.
So twist and shout about illegals. That won't change until this does. | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/22/2006 9:43:08 PM | | I've seen the light, Comrad Toon. Think of all the advantages of an $80/hr wage. Every worker would be able to afford basic life neccessities like food, clothing, shelter, and cable. Tax revenues would go through the roof and then the government could provide free health care to all. With government paying for dental care, for example, we'd all have beautiful teeth like the British. I know what the naysayers will say. They'll say "Nay." These capitalist pigs think that this will cause inflation. Not true. All prices will be strictly regulated. America will become as bountiful as Soviet Russia. Down with the Proletariat swine! | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/22/2006 10:23:16 PM | Now THAT is a funny post. 
Lately, it's been getting hard to tell the difference between old Mother Russia and our freedoms slowly eroding here. IMHO
Things never change, history of man...little guy always gets screwed by the robber Baron.
The meek shall inherit the earth....yeah, but will they WANT it after we finish trashing it?
Toon | |
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| Senate refuses to raise minimum wage.
Posted: 6/22/2006 11:24:32 PM | HAHA i couldn't agree with CountIbli more.
I believe minimum wage here in BC is somewhere between $8.00 and $8.50. A solid $72 hourly pay hike across the board is just what the doctor ordered lol.
Problem is I think is that there are too many people willing to work for minimum wage no matter where we are. I know there are people flowing into the countries all the time willing to work for dirt cheap wages, so who can blame our governments if they dont want or need to raise the wage floor.
I mean in all honesty, if you were the owner of the company and had 2 people to pick from for a position, both were equally capable and willing to do the job. However 1 was willing to work for minimum wage, whereas the other wont worth for anything short of say $4 higher hourly. Which candidate will you take?
Probably if enough people declined to work for these wages then they would have to raise it, but as it stands now, that is not the case | |
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